


jeju island (the second)

by mingowow



Series: we were always a movie [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Feelings Realization, Future Fic, Idol Verse, Light Angst, M/M, traveling best friends (not yet boyfriends)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 15:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20229961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mingowow/pseuds/mingowow
Summary: mingyu always, always misses him.





	jeju island (the second)

**Author's Note:**

> hello again~ for those who haven't read the other fics, this is a piece of a collection of fics that are centered around different trips mingyu and minghao take throughout their lives together! the timeline is non-linear but they all take place in the same canon idol universe. :)
> 
> (this is the first fic linearly though ^^)
> 
> unbeta'd, sorry for any mistakes!
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated! ^^~
> 
> please enjoy!!

This summer is worse than last year’s, Mingyu thinks.

Maybe it’s just because this year they have more outdoor performances at various festivals, so he’s experiencing sweating through his outfits at an alarming rate. The other guys may try to clown him whenever he rips off his shirt the moment he has one foot off stage, but he can’t handle the damp silky material clinging to his back. The leather-like pants make it even worse but he can’t go unzipping those anywhere.

“Mingyu,” Joshua laughs, as the horde of them shuffle out of the stage’s wing.

Mingyu’s shirt is already half unbuttoned by the time he’s hopping down the stairs.

“Why couldn’t our concept be cotton t-shirts?” the rapper whines, snatching up a towel and wiping down his face. He pulls it away to see faint streaks of make-up.

“T-shirts on a stage like this, how glamorous,” Wonwoo chimes in.

As gross as Mingyu feels, a sudden jolt of excitement hits him, limbs wildly swinging as he enters the dressing room. He accidentally smacks Jihoon in the face and doesn’t think to apologize until the shorter member elbows him, hard.

He can’t help that his emotions tend to manifest themselves physically and he can barely contain himself. And the reason behind his sudden burst of happiness is well-deserved.

With one arm already out of his shirt, he checks the time on his phone and tries to do a bit of quick math to see if he’ll have time to stop and shower before his flight. It’s only 5:40 and his plane leaves at 9:20.

“Someone is giddy,” Soonyoung teases, pulling his attention from his phone.

Mingyu shoots him a look but not before he catches himself in the mirror, shaking his hips in a light dance as he stands with his half unbuttoned shirt hanging around his waist.

“Yeah I am,” Mingyu replies matter-of-factly. Someone snickers across the room but he can’t be bothered to care much right now.

He _is_ giddy. He’s over-the-moon excited. Over what exactly, well… that’s what gets a little murky.

The members assume it’s probably over his trip. It’s just to Jeju, somewhere he’s been a few times before, but this last performance marks the beginning of a five day break they have. Some guys are using it to visit family, others to catch up on rest, and two have decided to use the time for a healing trip: Mingyu and Minghao.

Which is possibly the other reason Mingyu is so excited.

Minghao’s only been gone three days, missing a few schedules in Korea for his own personal ones in China, which is really not unheard of. But three days is a long time. Three days is a lifetime when Mingyu is so used to seeing him every single day. It’s something he may have accepted as a fact of life over time, but it’s never been something he enjoyed.

So is he more excited for the trip or more excited to see his best friend? He reasons with himself that it’s a combination of the two: a trip to Jeju with his best friend, something that has become a bit of a tradition (does two trips to Jeju together make it a tradition? Mingyu doesn’t care if it really does because it _does_ to him.)

Mingyu does thankfully have time to shower quickly when they get back to the dorm. He yells out his goodbyes to the members still around before following behind their manager like a puppy. Having a personal chauffeur is definitely nice sometimes but Mingyu is glad to say goodbye in the drop-off lane of Incheon Airport. He’s relieved they won’t have a chaperone for this trip. It’s a little taste of freedom, something that doesn’t happen nearly enough.

The flight is so short but Mingyu passes out anyway, waking up only when a kind stewardess lets him know they are about to land.

He’s got a small crick in his neck from the uncomfortable position but he works it out by the time he makes it out to the arrival gate. Checking the time, he’s still got about thirty minutes before Minghao’s plane is supposed to land.

They had discussed just meeting at the hotel but Mingyu finds himself wandering over to a seat in the arrivals hall and plopping down with his phone. Thirty minutes isn’t long at all, he reasons internally. Plus, it will be nice to surprise his best friend. He bites back a grin at the thought of Minghao’s expression when he sees him waiting there.

Except when he checks on his best friend’s flight out of boredom, he realizes that it was delayed. Minghao hadn’t messaged him about it but for all he knows, he wasn’t able to because of some firewall situation or who knows what else. Mingyu frowns and mulls over what to do for a while.

His eyes wander about the people entering the hall.

Most are families and couples coming in together, all smiles and laughter because, hello, it’s Jeju Island. They’re probably here on holiday too.

There are a few reunions that take place before him. He smiles at the sight of an elderly woman embracing every individual member of a family of four. She hugs each of them and they cling back briefly before they shuffle outside together, all smiles and happy eyes.

With a sigh, Mingyu drags himself out to the taxi lane and heads to the hotel. Alone.

In the cab, he messages Minghao, backspacing and erasing at least half a dozen times before he finally hits send.

> **Minggu**  
>>Saw your flight’s delayed :( I’ll be at the hotel~

It’s an odd experience checking in to a hotel alone; Mingyu tries to remember if he’s ever done it and he can’t recall a time. It makes him feel strangely adult, even if he’s already 24 years old.

The room is not of much interest to him; he’s stayed in so many hotels that nothing really impresses him anymore. But the bed is soft and there’s a few welcome snacks that he happily munches on. Minghao’s flight won’t land in time for them to go out for very long tonight, so he indulges in the free fair.

Mingyu’s annoyed at himself for checking his phone as much as he does but he’s _bored_. He’s bored and _lonely_. He realizes this is ridiculous because he’s been on his own for maybe two and a half hours… but he always feels better when he’s with someone else. And the joy he had experienced prior to his arrival on the island has left him a bit deflated.

_Finally_, after two bags of chips and a can of Coke, he phone chirps at him. He’s so quick to grab at it that he accidentally leans his weight on the TV remote control, driving the volume up to an uncomfortable level.

> **17’S YONGPALLIE~**  
>>Sorry, couldn’t get through. I’m on my way to the hotel now~

Mingyu smiles a bit too wide, his cheeks high, quickly typing his reply.

> **Minggu**  
>>See you soon!! ^^

With a sudden burst of energy, he quickly gathers up his trash and hastily wipes the chip crumbs from his bed. The room is spotless within a few minutes and he doesn’t know what to do with himself while he anxiously waits.

He scrolls through Instagram, he messages some of the other members just to check in, he sends a selfie to his little sister with an obnoxious message bragging about being in Jeju.

And then there’s a knock at the door and he all but flings himself up to his feet in a scramble to open it.

He’s met with his best friend, black mask pulled across his face and ballcap low on his eyes. But Mingyu can still make out his gaze, the way his eyes crinkle in the way they always do when he smiles.

“Hey,” he greets casually.

Mingyu doesn’t say anything in reply but instead manhandles the other into a hug, ignoring the way his knee painfully knocks into his hard-case carrier. He squeezes and pats and holds on tight to Minghao, cheek pressed against the side of his hat.

“Okay, okay,” Minghao laughs against his shoulder, his fingers squeezing around the curve of Mingyu’s shoulder.

But Mingyu only finally lets go when the other knees him on the leg.

Mingyu pulls the suitcase before Minghao can grab it and goes off on a ramble, asking how Minghao’s flight was, how was his schedule, what does he want to eat…

Minghao laughs again and once they’re inside with the door shut, he removes the mask and pushes his hat up. Mingyu’s next question gets lost on his tongue when his eyes settle on the Chinese boy’s face.

The rings beneath his eyes are prominent and his skin appears dull, speckled with blemishes and a few zits. He looks absolutely exhausted and Mingyu’s chest aches a little at the thought.

He doesn’t know how he does it, how he can jet back and forth all the time and juggle all their group promotions along with his own busy schedule. Mingyu only does solo work in Korea and _he’s_ worn down most of the time from forty minutes car rides.

“You can wash up and we can call it a night, if you want,” Mingyu finally says.

Minghao is at the full-length mirror, messing with his limp, floppy hair. He looks at Mingyu through the reflection.

“Aren't you hungry?”

“Aren’t you tired?” Mingyu counters with a tilt of his head. “I’ll just order some room service.”

He sees Minghao bite back a smile and silence takes over the room.

Minghao fiddles with his suitcase, rummaging through it and pulling out sleep clothes and his hygiene items.

After he phones in for some food, Mingyu just sits on the edge of the bed, watching. They aren’t speaking and there’s no other noise really; Mingyu wants to talk but he can tell his best friend is beat. And he knows there will be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.

Minghao’s voice breaks the silence. “Why are you watching me like that?” His tone is light, almost playful. But Mingyu can still hear the exhaustion.

_Because I’ve missed you_, he thinks. And he almost lets it slip but he catches himself, clearing his throat.

“Sorry,” is all he replies, standing up and moving to his own suitcase.

“That’s not an answer,” Minghao teases.

Mingyu smiles to himself, staring down at his belongings but mind suddenly blank on what he was going for.

“I’m just happy we got to come here,” he says after a thoughtful moment of consideration over his words. He hears Minghao hum in reply.

“Yeah, it’ll be a fun time.”

It’s a harmless statement but for some reason, Mingyu feels a bit… prickly because of it.

Because the thing about Minghao, while he’s never been short on affection or affirming how much he cares about Mingyu... sometimes things are downplayed. While Mingyu wears his heart on his sleeve every hour of every day, lamenting on every departure his friend takes and celebrating every reunion like it’s been a decade of separation, Minghao seems to take it much more in stride.

_”I’ll be back in a few days.” (“Four days is over half a week!”)_

_“We message each other every day.” (“I haven’t seen you in days.”)_

_“It’s fun when we get to hang out like this.” (“This has been the best day ever.”)_

“Mingyu?”

His head shoots up at the sound of his name. Minghao is looking at him curiously, almost smiling.

“You must be tired too if you’re zoning out like that.”

Mingyu licks over his lips, his eyes falling back to his suitcase.

“I really missed you,” he admits, intending for it to be a sheepish admission. But his voice rings out clear and strong, as if he doesn’t feel any embarrassment saying such things.

There’s a silence that hangs in the air for just a second too long, making it slightly awkward. Because he knows Minghao heard him and he knows he understood what was said.

“It was just a couple of days,” he finally replies. There’s that playful tone to his voice again and Mingyu finds himself mildly annoyed because he doesn’t want to be teased about this, not right now.

“Yeah. But I still missed you.”

Minghao looks at him again, an emotion Mingyu can’t quite place sweeping over his face.

A voice in the back of his head tells him he should be a bit nervous but instead, he feels emboldened. The perfect storm has brewed, given the rollercoaster of emotions he’s been on all day.

“I know it was just a couple of days,” he adds, before Minghao can get in a word. “But I still miss you. Even when you’re just gone a day, I miss you. Is that so pathetic of me?”

“It’s not pathetic,” Minghao interjects, his eyebrows drawn up in confusion. Mingyu’s eyes flicker down to the toothpaste bottle in his best friend’s grasp, clenched a bit too tightly.

“Then why is it always laughed off when I admit it?”

Minghao is clearly perplexed and Mingyu knows why: because he’s usually a good sport.

Mingyu has been the butt of so many jokes amongst his members and he’s (almost always) taken it in stride. He will huff or pout a bit maybe, but he rolls along with the jokes because he knows there is no malicious intent, he knows that he’s loved and appreciated and his presence is enjoyed.

So then why, that nagging voice in the back of his mind asks him, is he suddenly biting back at _Minghao_ of all people? The one who honestly probably teases him the least, who understands his sensitivity and never pushes things too far? Why is this exchange suddenly nudging him over the edge?

“I’m not making fun of you, Mingyu,” Minghao replies, his voice oozing of honesty and tenderness. It makes Mingyu’s gut twist in guilt and his cheeks feel warm. “I’m sorry if I made you think that.”

“It’s fine,” he mutters under his breath, fiddling with the tag of a folded t-shirt to avoid looking over at the other.

He hears some shuffling behind him and suddenly Minghao’s warmth is so close, radiating against his arm and side. His long arms slip around Mingyu’s torso and pull him in for a misaligned embrace.

Mingyu chooses to ignore the thumping in his chest at the gesture, daring to glance over at the other, whose chin is lightly resting on his shoulder.

“I--” Minghao starts with a deep breath. “I’m always relieved when I come back and get to see you.”

_I miss you too_, Mingyu interprets. It’s dressed and offered in different verbiage but he knows the meaning and intent is there. It’s enough to tug a small smile onto his lips but then again, it’s not like he would be able to stay too upset anyway. Not only because it’s in his blood to forgive and forget easily but also because it’s Minghao; Minghao, who he has truly missed so much.

Mingyu stares at him for a long moment, taking in his appearance up close, how his eyes are bright despite the evident fatigue he feels. Mingyu exaggeratedly swallows the lump in his throat, stewing in regret for bringing up his annoyance when Minghao is very clearly in need of rest.

But Minghao holds fast, his grip squeezing Mingyu every so often. It’s reassuring enough that Mingyu allows himself to rest some of his weight back against his best friend.

It’s strange how the thought worms its way into Mingyu’s mind, how it introduces itself in such a casual fashion when the content of it could be so life-changing, for better or worse: _what would it be like to kiss you?_

His head tilts forward and their foreheads brush. Minghao doesn’t pull away but Mingyu notices how a small breath seems to get sucked in between his slightly parted lips, lips that Mingyu’s eyes keep stupidly flickering down to glance at.

Before he can do anything incredibly idiotic, there’s a knock at the door and a call out: the room service has arrived.

Minghao’s arms are suddenly gone and Mingyu sits still for too long, frozen with thoughts of what just happened and what was possibly, maybe _about_ to happen.

Minghao all but bolts to get the door and Mingyu clutches the folded shirt in his hand, now wrinkled and wrung beneath his white knuckles.

He eats quietly, sharing half the plate with Minghao and while they do exchange words here and there, it’s all emptiness to Mingyu. Hollow conversation and pointless exchanges to avoid the awkwardness that they are both so aware of. Avoid avoid avoid, his brain chants, making a conscious effort to not let his gaze linger on the dancer for too long. Especially not on his face, his lips.

They finally sleep and the next morning, Minghao greets him fresh-faced and smiling, skin brighter and energy bubbling, as if nothing had happened.

After all, nothing had really happened at all.


End file.
